Compare
OpnEarth vs Google Earth Pro, Google Earth Web, QGIS, ArcGIS and GeoLibre
Every edition of OpnEarth, side by side with the tools people use today. OpnEarth opens very large KMZ files in seconds, keeps their styling, and has AI built in that can run privately on your own computer.
Opening files
| Feature | OpnEarth Lite | OpnEarth Pro | OpnEarth Enterprise | Google Earth ProGoogle will stop offering Earth Pro for download on June 25, 2027; installed copies keep working. Its Mac version is built for Intel, and Apple says macOS 27 is the last release to run Intel-only apps on Apple silicon Macs. | Google Earth Web | QGIS | ArcGIS (Pro / Online) | GeoLibre |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opening a very large KMZ | Same speed as Pro, no size limit | 7.6 s on a high-end Windows workstation | Same as Pro | 30.4 s on the same workstation | Import limit of 250,000 points | An import step first | Pro adds it; Online takes KML up to 10 MB | Not yet timed |
| Files open at once | One at a time | As many as you need | Same as Pro | Several | Several | Several | Several | Several |
| Preview KML and KMZ in Finder (Quick Look) | Yes, on Mac, with map icons | Yes, on Mac, with map icons | Same as Pro | No | No | No | No | No |
| Search an address and keep the pin | Yes | Yes | Same as Pro | Yes | Yes | Plugins | Yes | Finds places and drops a pin |
| Street View from any point | Yes, in Google Maps | Yes, in Google Maps | Same as Pro | Yes | Yes | Plugins | Varies | With your own Google key |
Viewing and styling
| Feature | OpnEarth Lite | OpnEarth Pro | OpnEarth Enterprise | Google Earth ProGoogle will stop offering Earth Pro for download on June 25, 2027; installed copies keep working. Its Mac version is built for Intel, and Apple says macOS 27 is the last release to run Intel-only apps on Apple silicon Macs. | Google Earth Web | QGIS | ArcGIS (Pro / Online) | GeoLibre |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keeps the original styling | Yes | Yes: colours, icons and pop-ups | Same as Pro | Yes | Partly | Needs restyling | Yes; editing needs a conversion | Mostly: styles, folders and overlays |
| Live web layers and DXF drawings | DXF drawings | Both | Same as Pro | No | No | Both | Both | Both |
| Your own basemaps: Mapbox, MapTiler, Esri, WMS | The built-in basemaps | Yes, with layers on top | Same as Pro | WMS as an overlay | Google's imagery | Yes | Yes | Yes: a style address, XYZ or WMS |
| Attribute table with columns you resize and hide | No | Yes, kept per file | Same as Pro | No | Varies | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Measuring and analysis
| Feature | OpnEarth Lite | OpnEarth Pro | OpnEarth Enterprise | Google Earth ProGoogle will stop offering Earth Pro for download on June 25, 2027; installed copies keep working. Its Mac version is built for Intel, and Apple says macOS 27 is the last release to run Intel-only apps on Apple silicon Macs. | Google Earth Web | QGIS | ArcGIS (Pro / Online) | GeoLibre |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Totals by owner or status | No | Kilometres, counts and areas, to Excel | Same as Pro | No | No | Statistics by category | Summary statistics | Field statistics and dashboards |
| What changed since the last KMZ | No | Added, removed and changed | Same as Pro | No | No | Needs matching IDs | Varies | Not documented |
| Buildings passed, near-net quotes, fibre paths | No | All three, with laterals along real roads | Same as Pro | No | No | Plugins and several tools | Varies | Routing and drive-time areas |
| Buffers and distance search | Yes | Yes | Same as Pro | Limited | No | Full geoprocessing | Full geoprocessing | Yes, with 1,000+ tools |
| Technical proposal PDF from a route | No | Yes, in one step | Same as Pro | No | No | Atlas layouts, set up by hand | Map series layouts, set up by hand | Atlas pages in Print Layout |
Sharing and collaboration
| Feature | OpnEarth Lite | OpnEarth Pro | OpnEarth Enterprise | Google Earth ProGoogle will stop offering Earth Pro for download on June 25, 2027; installed copies keep working. Its Mac version is built for Intel, and Apple says macOS 27 is the last release to run Intel-only apps on Apple silicon Macs. | Google Earth Web | QGIS | ArcGIS (Pro / Online) | GeoLibre |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share a map for approval | No | A web link, with comments | Same as Pro | Send the file | Shares the project | Send the file | Online shares web maps with groups | A web link, with comments |
| Roles and approvals per person | No | View, comment, edit or approve | Same as Pro | No | View or edit | No | Group sharing | View, comment or edit |
| Edit together live and see who is there | No | Yes, with pointers on the map | Same as Pro | No | Varies | No | Varies | Yes, with cursors, in an early version |
| Comments with @mentions and email alerts | No | Yes | Same as Pro | No | No | No | Varies | Comments; alerts not documented |
| Links that expire, and a preview before you share | No | Both, including expiry after approval | Same as Pro | No | Varies | No | Varies | Expiry, passwords and a check before sharing |
| Your watermark on shared maps | No | With the Security module | Same as Pro | No | No | No | Varies | Not documented |
| PDF pages for a route | One page at a time | Map books, and route packages with crossings | Same as Pro | One page at a time | One page at a time | Atlas, in the layout designer | Map series, in layouts | Atlas, in Print Layout |
For organisations
| Feature | OpnEarth Lite | OpnEarth Pro | OpnEarth Enterprise | Google Earth ProGoogle will stop offering Earth Pro for download on June 25, 2027; installed copies keep working. Its Mac version is built for Intel, and Apple says macOS 27 is the last release to run Intel-only apps on Apple silicon Macs. | Google Earth Web | QGIS | ArcGIS (Pro / Online) | GeoLibre |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Admin console for your organisation | No | No | Members, seats and devices in one place | No | No | No | Yes, in ArcGIS Online | Not documented |
| Members and roles | No | No | Owners, admins and members | No | No | No | User types and roles | Not documented |
| Organisation shared maps | No | No | A shared folder, with drafts | No | Through Google Drive | No | Groups and shared content | Not documented |
| Organisation themes and proposal templates | No | No | Set once, used by everyone | No | No | No | Varies | Not documented |
| Watermark locked for the organisation | No | No | With the Security module | No | No | No | Varies | Not documented |
| Your own web address for shared maps | No | No | On request | No | No | No | Varies | Host it yourself |
| Audit log of sharing and admin activity | No | No | Filter it, and export it to a spreadsheet | No | No | No | Varies | Not documented |
Offline
| Feature | OpnEarth Lite | OpnEarth Pro | OpnEarth Enterprise | Google Earth ProGoogle will stop offering Earth Pro for download on June 25, 2027; installed copies keep working. Its Mac version is built for Intel, and Apple says macOS 27 is the last release to run Intel-only apps on Apple silicon Macs. | Google Earth Web | QGIS | ArcGIS (Pro / Online) | GeoLibre |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open your own files with no connection | Yes, your files stay on your computer | Yes, your files stay on your computer | Same as Pro | Yes | No | Yes | Pro yes; Online no | Yes, in the desktop app |
| Save map areas for offline use | Yes, from a map source you add | Yes, from any map source you add | Same as Pro | A cache of places you viewed | No | Varies | Varies | Yes: background map areas you extract |
| Shaded relief to download for offline use | Yes, with pause and resume | Yes, with pause and resume | Same as Pro | No | No | Your own elevation data | Varies | Not documented |
| A world map that needs no download | Yes, built in | Yes, built in | Same as Pro | No | No | A simple world outline | No | Not documented |
| A Work offline switch | Yes: no network requests at all | Yes: no network requests at all | Same as Pro | No | No | No switch; local data works | Pro, with an offline licence | Not documented |
| Find a town with no connection | Yes: towns of 15,000 people and more | Yes: towns of 15,000 people and more | Same as Pro | No | No | No | Varies | Not documented |
| Sharing that waits for a connection | No | Yes, sent when you are back online | Same as Pro | No | No | No | Varies | Not documented |
| Offline edits merge when you reconnect | No | Yes, in live co-editing | Same as Pro | No | No | Offline Editing plugin | Yes, on layers set up to sync | Not documented |
| Field notes on a phone with no signal | No | Yes, sent when the phone is back online | Same as Pro | No | No | QField, a separate app | The ArcGIS Field Maps app | Field Collection, with photos |
AI
| Feature | OpnEarth Lite | OpnEarth Pro | OpnEarth Enterprise | Google Earth ProGoogle will stop offering Earth Pro for download on June 25, 2027; installed copies keep working. Its Mac version is built for Intel, and Apple says macOS 27 is the last release to run Intel-only apps on Apple silicon Macs. | Google Earth Web | QGIS | ArcGIS (Pro / Online) | GeoLibre |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ask your map in plain language | Ollama or LM Studio on your own computer | Any provider: Claude, OpenAI-compatible or your own server | Same as Pro | No | Gemini, experimental | Plugins only | AI assistants, in beta | Your choice of provider, including Ollama |
| Private AI on your own computer | Yes, on your own computer | Yes, on your computer or your company network | Same as Pro | No | No | No built-in | Cloud assistants | Yes, with Ollama |
| Works with your AI assistant | No | Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Codex and any MCP app | Same as Pro | No | No | Plugins only | Varies | Its MCP server writes project files |
| Your AI assistant builds and shares maps | No | Yes, after you confirm each step | Same as Pro | No | No | No | Varies | Builds project files |
| Answers highlight places on the map | Yes | Yes: click a name to frame it | Same as Pro | No | Gemini, experimental | No built-in | Varies | Not documented |
Platforms
| Feature | OpnEarth Lite | OpnEarth Pro | OpnEarth Enterprise | Google Earth ProGoogle will stop offering Earth Pro for download on June 25, 2027; installed copies keep working. Its Mac version is built for Intel, and Apple says macOS 27 is the last release to run Intel-only apps on Apple silicon Macs. | Google Earth Web | QGIS | ArcGIS (Pro / Online) | GeoLibre |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| macOS, Apple silicon and Intel | Yes | Yes | Same as Pro | Ending on Mac | In a web browser | Yes | Pro no; Online in a web browser | Yes, also on the Mac App Store |
| Windows | Yes: x64 and ARM | Yes: x64 and ARM | Same as Pro | Yes | In a web browser | Yes | Pro yes; Online in a web browser | Yes: x64 |
| Linux | Planned | Planned | Same as Pro | Yes | In a web browser | Yes | Online in a web browser | Yes |
| Web viewer for shared maps | No | Yes, with comments | Same as Pro | No | Yes | No built-in | Online, yes | Yes, the full app in a web browser |
| Web app, no install needed | No | Yes, in your browser | Same as Pro | No | Yes | No | Online, yes | Yes |
| On a phone | No | Field notes and photos on a shared map | Same as Pro | No | The Google Earth app | QField, a separate app | The ArcGIS Field Maps app | Android and iPhone apps |
Price
| Feature | OpnEarth Lite | OpnEarth Pro | OpnEarth Enterprise | Google Earth ProGoogle will stop offering Earth Pro for download on June 25, 2027; installed copies keep working. Its Mac version is built for Intel, and Apple says macOS 27 is the last release to run Intel-only apps on Apple silicon Macs. | Google Earth Web | QGIS | ArcGIS (Pro / Online) | GeoLibre |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free for non-commercial use | Yearly plan for commercial use | On request: contact us | Free | Free | Free and open source | Paid yearly licence | Free and open source |
Add-on modules
Add these to Pro or Enterprise. See what each one does.
- Security Available now
- Telecom Available now
- Custom icon library Available now
- Workflow Automations Available now
- Excavation Early access
- In-building Planned
Timings: one 56 MB KMZ, opened in each application in turn on the same high-end Windows workstation. Google Earth Web's Gemini chat is experimental and offered in some countries. QGIS AI tools come from third-party plugins. ArcGIS Pro is a Windows desktop application and ArcGIS Online runs in a web browser; Varies means it depends on the ArcGIS licence, extensions or setup. Google Earth Pro: Google's notice on downloads ending June 25, 2027, and Apple's notice that macOS 27 is the last release to run Intel-only apps. GeoLibre: its features list, downloads page and 3.1.0 release, and the web app, checked September 29, 2026. Not documented means neither the app nor its documentation shows it. Its collaboration is marked experimental.
Questions buyers ask
Is OpnEarth a replacement for Google Earth Pro?
Yes, for opening, measuring and sharing KML and KMZ files on Mac and Windows. It keeps the sender’s styling and uses open satellite imagery rather than Google’s.
Is there a free edition?
Yes. OpnEarth Lite is free for non-commercial use, with no edition-based size cap for local desktop files and AI on your own computer. Pro adds the tools for work: totals, sharing, what changed and near-net quotes.
Is there an edition for organisations?
Yes. OpnEarth Enterprise is everything in Pro, plus an admin console, members and roles, shared maps with drafts, the organisation’s themes and proposal templates, and a watermark it can lock. Write to [email protected] to talk about it.
Do I still need QGIS?
For viewing, measuring and sharing the files vendors send, OpnEarth is quicker to work with. For heavy geoprocessing, QGIS remains the right tool.
Request early access
for Mac or Windows.
OpnEarth is in early access for Mac and Windows. Request access and we will email your download link when your group opens.
We only email you about your access. No spam.
Can't install apps? Use OpnEarth in your browser with Pro.